Taisley of Noonvale
by Buckminster Rules 777
Summary: Taisley is the only warrior of Noonvale. Her home is under attack. She, her twin brother, Juniper, as well as six friends they meet along the way, must find Martin the Warrior. Only he can bring the aid that Noonvale so desperately needs.
1. Prologue

Noonvale is being invaded by a horde of vermin (rats, weasels, stoats, and the like)! The leader is a wicked fox by the name of Vaseer. He was chosen as leader not just because of his fighting skills, but because of his fur color. He has fur of a pitch black color. His eyes have a kind of golden tint that can pierce through the soul and turn us to nothing but scared little creatures. He is a fox to be feared.. We Noonvalers (save myself) have very little fighting experience. Those of Noonvale are essentially doomed.

 _Not if I have anything to say about it!_ I smirk while thinking of the looks that the vermin will wear when I finish with them. My name is Taisley. I have golden-brown fur and blue eyes. I am a warrior. I have a twin brother named Juniper. He also has golden-brown fur. His eyes are green. Juniper is being trained as a healer by our uncle Brome. He is the best healer of Noonvale.

I have always been the only warrior of Noonvale. If there is one thing that I know, it's that one warrior isn't enough. I need to leave and find help. I'm going to speak to Juniper right now. I need to plan things with the help of my twin. I need his advice. After all, my brother is pretty wise for his age. Wiser than me, despite the fact that we're twins.

When I find Juniper, he is setting herbs out on the table. I assume that it's because of the coming battles. "Juniper," I call to him.

He turns to me. "What is it?" Juniper asks.

"Well, you know that the vermin are coming. Fact is, they're right on our doorstep. I am the only warrior here. One warrior isn't enough. I want to leave to find someone, anyone, to help," I explain.

Juniper's eyes reveal a glint in them that I recognize as understanding. "I kind of knew that you'd come tell me that. Listen, I want to come with you." I am about to argue when Juniper continues. "If you get hurt, you'll need a healer."

I sigh in defeat. I am grateful for Juniper's help, though, despite the fact that I'd rather he stay safe. "Alright, Juniper. Now, I'll go talk to mom. I'm sure she'll agree. The counsel may not, but they'll come around." I reply. I buckle my sword to my left waist. I head off to consult mom. I'm hopeful that she'll agree with me.

I enter the counsel hall. My mother, the matriarch of Noonvale, is sitting in the front of the room. The counsel, led by my Uncle Brome, is surrounding her. The other members are the ones from the Rambling Rosehip Players as well as a couple of the former slaves of Marshank.

I walk over to mom. "Mom, Noonvale is suffering. I want to do something to help. I'm the only warrior here, but one warrior isn't enough. I need to find help. Juniper agreed to come with me. That is our only hope. We need to know where to go. Please," I request, hope shining in my eyes.

My mother answers after a moment of thought. "Head south. Find your father. He left when he thought that I was dead. Let him know that I am alive. Persuade him to come. Here, take this. I knew you'd be leaving, so I wrote him a letter and packed both of your provisions. Now, go. Time is short." My mother smiles at me. I nod my head. I take the letter and pack it safely amongst the provisions. Juniper and I start heading on our journey south.


	2. Chapter 1: New Friends

A few days after leaving Noonvale, Juniper and I enter the open land just beyond the rapids. Not much has happened, yet, considering the fact that the rapids lie just beyond Noonvale. Plus, we passed by on the calmer end of the rapids. Not much happens there. Our rations should last us well in this unfamiliar terrain.

We are about halfway through this strange land Suddenly, shouts and cries start coming from further south. We rush in the direction of the cries, curious as to who (or what) could be causing them. The cause of the commotion is apparent. There are six creatures, about our ages. They are being beaten by ten heartless foxes. Those young creatures (Two mice, two squirrels, one hedgehog, and one mole) are squealing from both pain and fear.

I draw my sword in preparation. We move forward silently. I motion to Juniper to hide behind a nearby tree. Snarling, I grip my sword and charge the ten foxes that are torturing those creatures. The first three foxes don't even have time to yelp in surprise before they fall to my sword blade. The rest are fairly stupid, if you pardon my saying so. I easily take them down.

Juniper and I turn to the six slightly trembling creatures. "Hello. My name is Taisley. I am a warrior from no place of importance. That is, I can't tell anyone about our home. It needs to remain a secret. This is my twin brother, Juniper. Who might you be?" I ask. The creatures appear to still be confused by our sudden appearance.

There is a male mouse with silvery fur and blue eyes; A female mouse with golden-brown fur and green eyes; A male squirrel with gray fur, a black patch over his right eye, and blue eyes; A female squirrel with red fur and green eyes; A male hedgehog with sharp, gray spikes and amber eyes; Last, but not least, a male mole with dark brown fur and brown eyes.

The male mouse speaks. "My name is Silver. That is my sister, Fern. Over there are the squirrels, Patch and Hazel. The hedgehog's name is Prickle, and the mole's name is Burrlem," Silver introduces, pointing to the whole group in turn.

I smile. "It's nice to meet you all. Now, we are heading south to find a mouse by the name of Martin the Warrior. Have you heard of him?" I ask.

Silver nods his head profusely. "Oh yes! He lives at and protects a grand abbey by the name of Redwall."

"Since I am off to find him, would all of you like to come with me?" I ask. Silver appears to be the leader figure from the way that Fern, Patch, Hazel, Prickle, and Burrlem look at him. When Silver nods his head, the others quickly follow his lead. "Alright, then, Juniper will take care of your injuries," I tell them. Juniper goes around, applying herbs and bandages to their injuries until the last of them is taken care of.

With that, we continue towards our next destination.


	3. Chapter 2: Taisley's Story

Later the same day that I rescued our six new friends, we sit down for dinner. As we are eating, Silver turns to me. "Why do you want to find Martin the Warrior?" He asks curiously. Everyone stops eating and turns to me, awaiting my answer.

"My mother told me to find him. See, my hometown is being invaded. Martin saved us once long ago, before I was even born." I answer.

"What happened at that time?" Fern asks.

"Long ago, my mother and her friend freed Martin when he was enslaved by the evil stoat, Badrang the Tyrant.. Together, along with my mother's friend, Grumm, they traveled back to Noonvale. Along the way, Martin and my mother began to develop feelings towards each other. However, when they were fighting against the stoat that had once enslaved Martin, my mother was terribly injured. Martin thought she was dead so, after he killed Badrang, he left. Mom wasn't dead, though; She recovered well, with the aid of Noonvale's finest healers. She gave birth to us right after her recovery. She discovered, on her own, that our father is Martin the Warrior," I finish my tale.

I am met with wide-eyed stares. "Woah! Really? He's your father? That's amazing!" Patch gasps in amazement.

"No. I just made that whole story up…" I say sarcastically, smirking. I quickly lose the smirk and continue with a more serious tone. "I know. I had the same kind of reaction when our mother told us."

"How could you both have survived inside your mother?!" Silver asks, a slight gasp of amazement in his voice.

"Despite the concussion that my mother received, it didn't damage anything important. By that, I also mean that there was no long term damage. Plus, her stomach was completely unharmed. Is it so farfetched that we'd survive inside of her?" I ask rhetorically.

"No. I…I guess not…" Silver answers anyway.

"Okay, then. Lets just continue our dinner and rest up for tomorrows traveling," I suggest. Everyone nods their heads. We continue eating.

When I finish my dinner, I go off by myself. I sit on a rock and begin to polish my sword. I am lost in thought about the journey that we are embarking on. That, and the sort of reception that our father would give us. Burrlem sits by my side. "Oi think you'm be's sad bout sommat."

"No, I'm not sad. I'm just thinking about my father. There's no need to worry about me; I'm fine," I smile reassuringly.

"'kay, Tazeley," Burrlem replies.

"Please, tell everyone that they can call me Tais. That's the nickname my mother and friends call me by," I explain. Burrlem nods his head before returning to the others. As soon as they finish eating, we bed down for the night. In the morning, we will continue on our perilous journey.


	4. Chapter 3: Dreams

**Martin's POV:**

It hasn't been long since I found my father and his four friends on the Northland Coast. There is one truth that I remembered at that time. It is one that I won't even tell my father or Timballisto. It is the secret of my lost love. My lovely Rose. Recently, I have been dreaming about her. I love her. I'll always love her. Tonight, the dream is even worse…

 _I am battling within Marshank. I am killing vermin left and right. I look down from the walltop. There, I see Rose jump on Badrang. Badrang throws her into the wall. She collapses. I cry out in horror. My horror is soon replaced by rage. I jump from the walltop to the ground. I charge and kill Badrang. After killing him, I rush to Rose's side. "Rose…Rose… y…you can't be dead! I love you!" Tears roll down my cheeks._

I wake up with a scream. I'm gasping in shock. The tears are still rolling down my cheeks. I am surprised to see my father sitting next to me. I quickly wipe the tears from my face and look away from him. "You loved her, didn't you?" Father speaks up.

I stiffen. "H…how did you…?" I begin.

"You were mumbling her name in your sleep," Father answers.

"Yes, I loved her. She's dead! Need I say more?" I speak roughly.

"Martin…" Father starts.

I cut him off. "I even forgot about her! I only remembered after finding you. I let her die! It is all my fault!" I yell. Tears are rolling down my cheeks again.

"Martin, it wasn't your fault! I'm sure that you did everything that you could for her," Father continues.

"It wasn't enough…" I mumble. My Father grabs me into his arms. I bite my lip, trying to keep myself from crying. I tremble slightly.

Dad places a paw on the back of my head. "It's alright to cry, son. Go ahead," he whispers into my ear. I grip the back of my father's shirt tightly as I start sobbing into his chest. Father strokes my headfur. I cry louder. My whole body shakes from my sobs. I hear my father whisper words of comfort into my ears. Those words begin to soothe me. My cries begin to die down. I pull away from father. I sniffle and wipe my eyes free of the tears.

Father begins speaking. "My son, I know that you're hurting. I felt the same way after your mother died."

"Yesterday was the anniversary of her death. You remember how I might have been more distant? That was the reason," I continue. Fresh tears prick at my eyes.

"Martin, any time you want to talk about her, just find me. I'll always be here for you," Father smiles softly at me.

I nod my head once. "Thank you. I… I just want to be alone for a little while," I reply.

He nods his head in silent understanding. Father turns around and leaves the Gatehouse Cottage. I lie back on my bed. I continue to think about my lost love. Fresh tears come to my eyes. I don't even bother to hold them back. I just curl up in a miserable ball of fur and cry myself to sleep.


	5. Chapter 4: Silver and Fern's Tale

**Taisley's POV:**

A couple of days after I explain my reason for searching for the legendary warrior, we are sitting around a camp fire. We're all just talking about this or that or the other thing. We don't even really have a topic of discussion.

That is, until Silver speaks up. "Hey, Tais? Do you want to know how Fern and I came to be where you found us?" Silver asks.

"Well, come to think of it, I _am_ curious. That's if you don't mind, of course," I reply.

"Oh, I don't mind. Just stay seated and I'll tell you all what has happened to us…" Silver begins.

 **Silver's POV:**

 _"_ _Fern and I, we were born in a small grove of trees, in a cave below them. Our parents were named Erin and Ivy. My mother was sweet and caring. She truly loved us, we knew that much._

 _Our father, though…he would always take the whip to us when we didn't do our chores right or come home right on time. When mom was alive, she tried to help me. However, there wasn't much that she could do. She was afraid of him. When we were young, Fern being only a baby, we witnessed dad kill mom. Life was never the same after that._

 _I did my best to protect Fern from him. I couldn't be everywhere at once, though. One night, I came home to see Fern crying uncontrollably. When I asked her what was wrong, she told me that dad raped her. I got angry. I confronted him. He attacked me. I grabbed his knife and stabbed him. I took Fern and ran away. To this day, I believe that I killed father."_

 **Back in Taisley's POV:**

We are all surprised by the tale that Silver has just related to us. I look at Silver. He has his head bowed with what I assume to be guilt. I place my paw on his shoulder. "When you stabbed your father, you did what you had to do. You didn't do anything wrong," I speak up.

Silver looks up at me. His eyes are shining a little brighter. "Thank you, Tais. You are a good friend to have," Silver smiles.

I smile back. Our eyes make contact, causing both of us to blush. Patch is the one to ruin our moment. "Hey, do you want to hear our stories, too?" Both Patch and Hazel step forward.

"Sure," I agree, while the rest of us just nod their heads. We continue to sit by the camp fire in preparation for the next story.


	6. Chapter 5: Patch and Hazel's Tale

**Patch's POV:**

 _"_ _I was born as the firstborn child of Nafir and Rain. A few years after my birth, my younger sister was born. Her name was Sapphire. Life was good for us. That's when it happened. Sapphire and I were playing in a meadow when we were captured by vermin. We were force-marched miles away from our home under the whips of our tormentors. I made a couple of friends in that wretched prison. One was named Azur. He was a black squirrel with amber eyes. He was the descendant of a old clan of warrior squirrels. My other friend is before you now. Hazel. Azur was her older brother. Well, one day during our captivity, Sapphire became seriously ill. I tried to keep her illness a secret out of fear that the vermin would kill her. Despite my efforts, they found out. They grabbed her and tied her up on a wooden post. I was forced to watch as they stabbed her to death. I was crying, hardly caring if anyone saw. Azur saw the look of despair on my face on that day and all the following days. He came to me with an escape plan. The plan was for us to escape in the dead of night before the guards changed. We all knew which guards had the habit of falling asleep on guard duty. So, one night, we put the plan into motion. A little past midnight, we managed to get past the guards. Unfortunately, as we were running away, we were spotted. Hazel and I got away unharmed, but Azur didn't. He was gravely injured. His last words to me were: I hope you find happiness. I'll tell Sapphire that you said hi. Then, Azur died. We ran away from that place. We continued traveling until we came across that roving band of vermin. That being when you saved us. Up until now, I've never seen my parents again. Hazel never saw hers either. We have had only each other to lean on."_

 **Back in Taisley's POV:**

I look at Patch. His eyes are glazed with sorrow and tears. I place my paw on his shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. It must've been terrible for you. Just know that you are not alone. We are all your friends and we will never leave you," I promise Patch.

"Thank you," Patch smiles, his spirits raising a bit.

"You're welcome. Now, do either of you have stories that you'd like to share?" I ask, addressing the others.

"No, not really. Our lives aren't that interesting," Prickle and Burrlem decline the opportunity to tell their stories.

"Alright, then. Let's get some sleep," I suggest with a yawn.

The others all nod their heads. Curling up in the grass, we fall asleep, less alone than when we've started.


	7. Chapter 6: Crows and Recovery

Five days after our story time, we are passing by the pine grove. I had warned everyone before to be wary. We don't know what sorts of creatures might live amongst these pine trees.

Soon, squawking can be heard coming from the trees. I turn in time to see four large crows emerge. I draw my sword and grip it in preparation. Prickle bares his quills at them. Between only the two of us, with the others waiting in hiding, we manage to drive the crows back. The short battle isn't without casualties, though. There is a deep talon scratch down my right side. Luckily, the raven's talon missed anything important.

I stumble over to one of the trees. I sit in its shade. Juniper comes over to me. Worry is clear in his eyes. "Are you okay, Tais?" Juniper asks.

"I'm fine," I smile reassuringly.

"Just let me bandage that up for you," Juniper offers.

I nod my head in acceptance. I wait for Juniper to finish bandaging my wound before I speak again. "My friends, we will continue south to the river. We will follow that closer to Redwall."

"Taisley, you're wounded! You should rest!" Juniper argues.

"No, Juniper! It is too dangerous to stay here! I'll be fine," I assure him. Together, we continue on.

The next day, I find that my wound is getting worse. It hurts a lot and a funny smell is coming from it. I'm even starting to feel sick. Juniper has noticed, of course, but he is sparing my pride by not telling the others. I am slowing down quite a bit, though. It won't be long before they find out.

Finally, we make it to the river. My nausea returns with a vengeance. My stomach gives a sudden lurch. I hunch over the river and begin vomiting into it. My friends are right there. However, I no longer care about that. I'm much too sick to care. When I finish vomiting, I sway. Juniper holds me up, as I no longer have the strength to stand. He helps me lay down in the shelter of some trees. I cough. "Juniper, what's wrong with me?" I ask in a weak, hoarse voice.

"Your wound is infected. Just lie still, now. I'll tend to you," Juniper says while placing a damp washcloth on my forehead. I smile softly before drifting off to sleep.

The next time that I wake up, I am still nauseous. Juniper is laying out his herbs next to me. My stomach keeps churning. I groan. "Juniper, I… I'm gonna… be sick… again…" I clench my eyes shut tightly as new waves of pain bombard me.

Juniper helps me to sit up and lean over to my left side. My stomach lurches. I begin vomiting yet again. Juniper rubs his paw over my back in soothing circles as I heave and retch into the grass. When I finish, Juniper uses a leaf to clean my face. Exhausted from vomiting, I close my eyes. I am asleep almost instantly.


	8. Chapter 7: Guosim and Ambush

Three days after the ordeal began, I am no longer ill. My strength is already returning, though not completely, yet.

We are packing up camp when, out of nowhere, we hear a song being sung. Not much later, longboats come into view. I see that they are crewed by various shrews. I call out in the finest sailor voice I can manage. "Ahoy there, shrews! My name's Taisley the warriormaid. This is my gallant crew of landlubbers! Who might you be?"

"Logalog Furmo at your service, Miss. This here is the Guosim: Guerilla Union Of Shrews In Mossflower. I, as their Logalog, lead them," Logalog Furmo explains.

"That's my twin brother, Juniper. Those are our friends: Silver, Fern, Patch, Hazel, Prickle, and Burrlem. We are heading to Redwall Abbey," I continue.

"Well, young'uns, that's also where we're heading. Come travel with us," Logalog offers.

I nod my head respectfully. "Thank you, Logalog." With those words said, all eight of us board the longboats and continue our journey.

On the way, I am drawn into the conversations of the Guosim warriors. They speak of all their old battles. They sing so many shrew rowing songs. I find myself singing along with them.

Logalog Furmo turns to me. "You have a beautiful voice. Would you care to sing your best sailing song for us?" He asks.

I nod my head with a smile. I clear my throat and begin to sing:

 _When sunlight beams through_

 _The leaves of the trees_

 _Illuminating everything_

 _In golden rays_

 _Everything is nice_

 _Everything is calm_

 _A world without war_

 _A world without violence_

 _Where there is no bloodshed_

 _Where no lives our lost_

 _Where there is no suffering_

 _A world unknown_

 _How nice it would be_

 _If such a world exists_

 _No more fantasizing_

 _Impossible dreams_

 _That is my dream_

 _Where all pain will end_

 _That is why I fight_

 _For all of our freedoms_

I finish singing. Logalog Furmo is surprised by my song. "Did you write that yourself?" He asks.

"Yeah, I did. The song is called 'A Broken World'. I was always a warrior, but that doesn't mean I like war. I wish it didn't exist. It does, though. That's why I fight: To try to minimize the casualties as much as possible," I finish.

"All of us here believe the same things that you do. None of us like war. We just do our best to protect the ones that need it," Furmo replies.

I nod my head in acknowledgment. We continue rowing the longboats through the river.

When we take the river as close to Redwall as possible, we continue our journey on foot. It isn't long before the time that we should arrive that trouble chooses to meet us yet again. It comes in the form of a roaming band of assorted vermin. I am about to face them when I see Juniper fall, an arrow protruding from his side. I kneel beside him and check his pulse. He's still alive.

"Go, young'uns! Get to Redwall! Send back help!" Logalog Furmo shouts. I lead everyone away, carrying Juniper in my arms.


	9. Chapter 8: Redwall

Mere minutes after leaving the Guosim, we reach Redwall's gate. I pound on the gate with my free paw. The gate opens to reveal a sturdy looking mouse with a sword strapped to his side. He appears surprised to see us.

I pay no heed to that, though. "Please help. My brother is wounded," I lift Juniper slightly for emphasis.

The mouse turns around. "Columbine, this young mouse was injured! Could you tend to him?"

"Of course, Martin!" A female mouse comes and takes Juniper from my paws.

"You're Martin? My mother told me to find you!" I gasp.

"Wait… who are you?" Martin asks.

"Oh! Forgive me. My name is Taisley. I come from Noonvale. I'll explain more later, but right now, the Guosim are fighting for their lives!" I yell. Martin and six others follow me, all of our weapons drawn.

We arrive a few minutes later. The Guosim are still fighting. I can see a few injured. Thankfully, no one is dead. My eyes narrow. I charge at the vermin. "Fur and Freedom!" I yell. My eyes are shrouded with a red mist. I slay the majority of the vermin without the need of much assistance.

When the vermin are slain, I look around. A crazed look is present in my eyes. Martin shakes me by my shoulders to try to snap me out of it. I blink my eyes rapidly, the red mist beginning to dissipate. "Er…sorry 'bout that. In a battle like this…I can't exactly control myself…" I trail off while running a paw through the fur on the back of my head.

Martin puts his paw on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I get it. Now, I have to ask… Why have you come here?" He asks.

"Martin, Rose isn't dead. I know that because she is my mother. She hadn't known right away, but when she went into that battle, she was pregnant with my brother and I. Martin, you are our father," I smile.

Martin is shocked. "Rose is alive? And you…you're my daughter?" He gasps.

I nod my head. "Yes, and Juniper is your son. Mom wrote this letter for me to give to you," I hand my father the letter.

He takes it and begins to read it aloud:

 _My beloved Martin, I have missed you so much. I have wanted to contact you for a long time, now. I just never had the chance before. Now, though, our kids are older. They are old enough to travel. I send to you now our twin children, Taisley and Juniper. Taisley is a warrior born, like you. Juniper is a healer trained under Brome. Please, come to our aid at the head of other warriors. We need you desperately, for the time is short._

 _I Love You_

 _~Rose~_

After Martin reads the letter, he looks at me. "I…I'm a father? And Rose…she's alive…" Martin gasps with surprise.

"Yes…father…" I answer. It's obvious that I'm nervous about calling him father.

Father's surprise turns into a look of happiness. He hugs me tightly. I can't keep myself from gasping. My side is still injured, after all. He releases me in shock. "What's wrong? Are you injured?" Father asks.

"Yeah, um…there was this battle against some crows a few days ago. One of them clawed my side. I'll be fine, though. Heh…you shoulda seen the crows when we finished with them. They were scared outta their feathers!" I laugh a little while waving off dad's concern. Father still looks worried about me. I can tell. "I'm actually more worried about Juniper," I continue.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be fine. We have excellent healers. He's in good paws," father assures me. We turn towards the path and start heading towards Redwall. As soon as we get there, father calls a conference in the Great Hall. There, we will come up with a plan.


End file.
